Add Header & Footer to PDF Online Free

Add Header and Footer to PDF Online

The Header & Footer PDF tool adds consistent text to the top and bottom of selected PDF pages. It is useful for document titles, department names, confidentiality notes, revision labels, dates, filenames, page references, or other short information that should repeat across a report. You can add a header, a footer, or both, choose the page range, adjust the font size, edge margin, and text color, and use page placeholders to generate page-aware labels.

What This PDF Tool Does

Headers and footers are small text elements placed near the top or bottom margin of a page. They help readers identify a document, understand its status, or keep pages organized after printing. This tool adds new text to the visible page without altering the original source file. The result is a fresh PDF copy that can be reviewed before you share, print, or archive it.

How the Browser-Based Process Works

Upload a PDF, enter header text, footer text, or both, and choose the pages that should receive the labels. The placeholders {page} and {pages} can be used inside your text to insert the current page number and total page count automatically. For example, “Page {page} of {pages}” becomes a different footer on every page. Choose the font size, edge margin, and color, then process the file and download the finished PDF. If you also need to add clear page numbers to selected PDF pages, use Add Page Numbers to PDF for that step.

Controls and Professional Options

• Header text is centered near the top edge of each selected page.
• Footer text is centered near the bottom edge of each selected page.
• The {page} placeholder inserts the physical PDF page number.
• The {pages} placeholder inserts the total number of pages in the PDF.
• Page range, font size, margin, and color let you adapt the label to the existing page design.

Common Uses

• Add a report title or department name to every page.
• Create “Page X of Y” footers for business or school documents.
• Mark a working document with a revision or draft label.
• Add a short confidentiality notice to selected pages.
• Keep printed pages identifiable when they are separated from the full document.

Output Quality and Document Layout

Short headers and footers usually produce the best layout. Long sentences can collide with existing content or extend beyond the page width because the tool does not automatically create a multi-line header. Review pages with different sizes or orientations, especially scanned documents that already use the full page area. A slightly larger edge margin can help avoid printer non-printable zones and existing border artwork.

Browser-Based Privacy and Performance

The normal header/footer operation is performed in your browser and does not require a paid document API. The PDF is read locally, the new text is drawn onto the selected pages, and the browser prepares a new file for download. Browser memory usage increases with document size, but the operation is generally lightweight compared with OCR or image conversion. When you need to apply sequential Bates identifiers to document pages, Bates Number PDF Pages can handle that related task without changing the purpose of this tool.

Preparing the Source File

Before adding repeating text, inspect the top and bottom of several pages. Existing running headers, footnotes, page numbers, crop marks, and scanned edge content can occupy the same area. Choose a short phrase and enough edge margin to avoid overlap. If the document has a cover that should remain clean, exclude page 1 with the page-range control and apply the header or footer only to the body pages. A useful next step is Add Margins to PDF when your workflow also needs to create extra white space around PDF page content.

Using This Tool in a Larger PDF Workflow

Headers and footers are most reliable after page order is final. Merge, split, delete, or reorder pages first if placeholders such as {page} and {pages} must reflect the final document. When a document also needs page numbers or Bates identifiers, choose different vertical positions or margins so the labels do not overlap. Apply a final visual review after all repeated page labels have been added.

Reviewing the Downloaded Result

After processing, open the downloaded PDF or output file before sending, printing, submitting, or replacing any original. Check the first page, the last page, several pages in the middle, and any pages with unusual size, orientation, forms, scans, or dense artwork. Confirm that the intended change appears exactly where expected and that unrelated content is still present. Keeping the source file until this review is complete gives you a reliable way to repeat the operation with different settings. If the workflow later requires you to add a repeated label or watermark across PDF pages, use Watermark PDF for that separate task.

Important Limitations

The tool is intended for short visible text. It does not import complex Word-style headers, logos, multi-line tables, automatic document fields, or section-specific page numbering rules. It also does not inspect existing headers or footers for collisions. If a page already contains text near the selected edge, choose another location or increase the margin and review the output.

Tips for Better Results

• Keep header/footer text concise so it fits comfortably on narrow pages.
• Use {page} and {pages} instead of manually typing page numbers.
• Choose a color with enough contrast for both screen viewing and printing.
• Test one copy before distributing a large or important document.

Frequently Asked Questions